Flail Chest
This condition can occur as a result of blunt force trauma. For example, the person fell onto something or something fell onto the person causing three or more broken ribs: sometimes you will hear people state this can occur with two or more broke ribs. This results in paradoxical breathing: the person takes a breath in and the chest wall moves out and up leaving the damage segment behind causing a “dent” in the chest wall. Below are are a few examples. Be aware some of the links are quite graphic.
During the course we will cover how to conduct a chest examination on our full body mannequin. Treatment for the conscious person would be to put in a position of comfort. For the unconscious person, they would be moved either by a recovery position or log roll ensuring the injured side is uppermost.
